Top Haunted Houses In St. Louis

The Darkness consistently ranks as the top haunted house in the area, and even hits some national lists. The Darkness is two stories of green-lit, foggy labyrinth, where you'll find yourself at the mercy of every sort of human and animatronic nightmare imaginable. The Darkness brings relentless, non-stop horror, with Hollywood-quality blood and gore, and some pretty twisted psychological terror as well. This is like a museum of blood-bathery, lush and magnificent. There is nothing else quite like The Darkness.

Brought to you by the geniuses behind The Darkness, Creepyworld is a five-acre theme park of horror in Fenton. You'll explore an army base taken over by zombies, a Gothic mansion of doom, a creepy farm populated by maniacal hillbillies and more. If you'd enjoy spending a moonlit evening outdoors, being chased with a chainsaw or having your ankles grabbed at by escaped mental patients, then Creepyworld is for you. 

The Lemp Mansion in South St. Louis is the city's best-known haunted mansion. The Lemp family had a history of suicides and insanity, and staff at the brewery and restaurant have long reported ghost sightings. In recent years, the theatrical haunted brewery has been taken over by the folks from The Darkness. The creepy, dripping limestone walls of the brewery's underground caverns create the perfect setting for a scream fest, and the true-story basis for the haunted premise adds just the right sort of skin-crawling creep factor.

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The Six Flags Fright Fest operates on the milder side of horror, perfect for families and those who only want to dip a toe in the terror. In fact, you can buy and wear a "Don't Scare Me" necklace if you're just not in the mood at all. Four separate haunted houses (each with its own admission fee) are set up around the park, and there are also 'scare zones' throughout the park where you can encounter Halloween characters. The end of October is the perfect time to say goodbye to your favorite rides and coasters for the season. 

Crystal City is a quiet place most of the year, tucked away next to Festus down by the river. It's known mostly for the Underground, flooded sandstone mines where you can enjoy cocktails and live music or have a barge ride. At Halloween, the black caves and still underwater lake are home to a haunted barge, a spooky boat ride and a terrifying underground maze that recreates your worst nightmares. The caves are always cool, so bring a warm jacket, and plan on hanging around the full-service bar for a bit after your heart slows back down to normal.

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